Toxic fumes
We recently purchased a Bryant 926 T furnace and had this installed by a local professional heating contractor. Within an hour, fumes from lubrication oil started to fill the house—despite the fact that we have an April-Air filter system attached to the furnace We opened all the windows (with a good breeze blowing) and turned on three large air purifiers. Nevertheless, the house reeked of lubrication oil from one end to the other, including the basement. We had to seal off the vents in three rooms to create safe areas.
Of the three furnaces we have purchased for our house over the years, this is the only one that had such a severe off-gassing problem. Earlier furnaces had a mild odor that was mostly in the basement and lasted about half a day. The off-gassing on this furnace lasted two days and could still be smelled easily three days later. It got into our bed linens, clothes, and carpets. If we had bought the furnace during the winter with freezing temperatures, the situation would have been even worse with little or no ability to open windows.
Lubrication oils are often used for manufacturing metals. According to online sources, the type of lubricant varies with the industry. Bryant appears to be using a lubricant that is unusually bad for off-gassing.
According to research that you can find online, the inhalation of metalworking fluids in a vaporized form can cause respiratory disease and potentially aggravate existing respiratory diseases. Possible diseases include: acute airway irritation, asthma, chronic bronchitis, impaired lung function, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. People who are exposed to the vapors on a regular basis can develop cancer in different parts of the body, from the larynx to the bladder.
Off-gassing is a recognized consumer concern in everything from carpets to varnish. Many of these products contain health warnings. Some manufacturers have altered their products to minimize dangerous vapors.
There were no warnings on the Bryant furnace about off-gassing vapors or their potentially harmful effects. The salesperson from the heating contractor gave no warning—despite the fact that I told him that I have asthma and that we have a pet bird in the house who cannot be exposed to toxic fumes. Birds have sensitive respiratory systems and can easily die from smoke and fumes—including such things as the vapor from cooking oils.
Thanks to lax safety regulations in the United States, companies like Bryant can market harmful products without question. And it is not like Bryant could not remedy the problem. Bryant can off-gas their metal products at the factory instead of pushing this off on unsuspecting consumers. At the very least, both Bryant and heating contractors should give consumers full disclosure about the fumes, including potential health risks to both people and pets. Failure to do this is professional negligence.
Finding a good furnace is not easy. Consumer reviews are few because furnaces are not carried by stores like Amazon or Home Depot. I would recommend that you ask heating contractors to put you in touch with other customers and ask about their experience. If you value your health and that of your pets—or just want to avoid the hassle of dealing with a house that stinks, I would avoid Bryant furnaces.